None of them will be nominated for “Comforter of the Year.” In fact, their notoriety lies in how badly they drew alongside Job to strengthen him in the aftermath of unimaginable tragedy. And while they may have been better served to let their words be few, it’s not like Job doesn’t fuel their fire with his increasing demand to have an audience with God so that he can defend the unjustness of his situation. Thus, we shouldn’t be too quick to disregard all that Job’s comforters speak to him. Something Eliphaz says this morning has me thinking.

But your are doing away with the fear of God and hindering meditation before God. (Job 15:4 ESV)

There’s a time for talking, and a time for thinking. A time to state, “Here’s how it is!” . . . and a time to consider, “Why is it so?” Sometimes it’s appropriate to let God know how you feel . . . but probably after you’ve spent some time reflecting on who He is. So, as I noodle on it, I think there’s some wisdom in Eliphaz’s words.

Job’s desperation for answers leads to demands of God. You get the sense that Job is looking for a face-to-face, man-to-man, hash-it-out meeting with the Almighty. His fear of God is waning . . . his boldness is increasing . . . and it’s impacting his thinking . . . distorting his consideration . . . clouding his meditation.

Holy reverent awe of God can go a long way to proper meditation . . . and a more level headed assessment of a situation.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10 ESV)

Given the open access I have been given to the throne of grace, I need to be careful of approaching in anyway that diminishes God’s holiness or exalts my human wisdom.

Instead, by maintaining the fear of God, by always remembering first who He is, then my meditation, my understanding, my insight will be unhindered and my spirit sensitive to His Spirit’s voice.

So . . . I'm "feeding myself" in the morning from God's Word and thought I'd post what I'm chewin' on and make my "food" available for others who might want to nibble a bit. Hope it's of some benefit to you . . .